Oil Coolers

[StrawberryCheesecake]

My Europa pile of bits has a massive ally radiator, and when I removed that to paint the car, I found an oil cooler lurking behind it. My initial view is that I probably don't need an oil cooler for a Zetec with stock internals, but I'm prepared to be persuaded otherwise. I plan to do sprints and hill climbs with the car, as well a as road use and the odd track day.

Pros of a front mounted oil cooler, as I see it.
- Oil should stay in temp range and protect the engine better in hard use.
- More weight in the front end

Cons of a front mounted oil cooler
- More weight overall
- More points of failure in the oil system
- More oil in the system and harder to change all of the oil successfully
- Cost.

So I'll fit one if I really need it.

Does anyone have an oil temp gauge on a zetec Europa? What are you doing with it, and are you seeing any worrying oil temps? I reckon around 100*C or less in normal running is acceptable, and up to 120 in hard use is no problem, with good quality semi/full synthetic oils. My old 911's handbook reckoned you could go over 130*C without an issue.

Any thoughts?

[jbcollier]

No comment on the Zetec engine oil temps as I run a Renault crossflow.  Engines that work hard, need an oil cooler.  Coolant temps can remain normal while oil temps rise into the stratosphere.  Europas do not have very good air flow at the rear making it tricky to find a location that will actually generate sufficient air flow to cool the oil.

If you fit an front cooler you need to consider the following:

- size the pipes appropriately so you do not add any restriction in the system.

- fit an oil-stat so your oil has a chance to warm up on a cool day.

- fit t-fittings near the engine in the lines to and from the cooler.  These allow you to blow out the lines when changing the oil and allow you to pressurize the system as well.

- you MUST pre-pressurize the system on first start-up and at each subsequent oil change.  No ifs and/or buts.  The oil run to the front is just too long for an oil pump fill quickly at cranking speeds.

I use a small electric pump to fill and pressurize the system.  Put one end in an oil jug, fire it up and run until the oil pressure gauge registers 20 psi.  Works very well.

[BDA]

I don't have a Zetec but I have a pretty warm BDA with an oil cooler. Maybe my experience will be helpful.


I didn't want to block any of my radiator (I'm probably over cautious since I think I've seen others do it successfully) and I didn't want to run oil lines to the front. I thought there was enough stuff running through the backbone. I put the oil cooler (with a thermostat in the back). I made a duct to louvers I put in the back panel next to the license plate. When I did that, I figured the low pressure area behind the car would suck air from the engine compartment through the cooler out the louvers but I found out later that the low pressure area behind the rear window and above the boot probably is drawing air through the louvers, then the cooler and out screens in the boot. I have seen where people have mounted a cooler parallel to the ground in the back. I think whether you plan on keeping your trunk tray (I did) will impact how you go.


Many years ago I read that if car companies installed oil temp gauges, they would freak you out. I'm not sure if that's true. I've never had an oil temp gauge without an oil cooler. I don't track my car and I don't drive it that hard. I don't think my temp has gotten above 120C. I run 10W40 Red Line synthetic oil.


I think an oil cooler isn't required for stock Zetec but I like the extra cooling in case the radiator isn't enough.

[jbcollier]

When I was young I had a Triumph TR7 which I outfitted with a whack of gauges. One being an oil temp gauge with a 270 degree sweep that read to 280°F.  Climbing mountain passes, the needle would go past 280°F, past straight down and start back up the other side again.  Not too sure what the actual temp was but it was HOT.

[BDA]

That would freak me out!

[Grumblebuns]

I'm also leaving the option of an oil cooler on my YBB Europa TCS project open by laying out the oil lines close to the rear opening between the tail lights. If I decide to use an oil cooler, my plan is to use that space for the cooler with one or two motorcycle radiator fans for cooling facing out. Anyone have thoughts or opinions if this is a viable plan.

[invjbo]

I took inspiration of another Europa out there. Who mounted an oilcooler quite low in the rear of the Engine compartment.

https://www.prevanders.net/europa/oilsystem.html

I ordered a pickup and an external thermostat/oilfilter and cooler and built a box and mounts for it and had high pressure oil lines made to measure.

This has worked fine for me. Only thing to consider is when changing oil I also have to blow out the oil cooler Before refilling. And I actually manually fill the oilcooler and external filter and lines separately.

[SwiftDB4]

I've had a Zetec in my S1 for 12 years now with no oil cooler. Have done several track days with it too. Don't have a permanent oil temp gauge, but added one for a track day. Never got over 105 degrees, mostly under 100. Oil pressure never drops under 75psi. My Zetec is fairly modified at 180hp. Water temp usually runs at 90 or 95 on a track day.

[jbcollier]

Air flow at the rear of a Europa is tricky to say the least.  As mentioned earlier, air flows INTO the engine compartment through the rear grill.  Most/all of the fresh air flows in through the rear wheel wells and out the grills in the cover.  Some/a lot of air recirculation occurs as the air exiting the cover grills tumbles rearward and back into the engine compartment through the rear grill.  That's one reason why it was covered in the TC.

The oil cooler shown in the link posted by "invjbo" does work very well.  Invjbo's photos of his/her install looks to have one of the openings facing the wrong way.

[StrawberryCheesecake]

Thanks for all the info. I think I'll leave it out for now, and see what sort of temps I get... the coolant radiator is .... (meant to measure it today but I forgot - it's massive anyway - whole width of the front compartment, so should be OK to keep the engine cool, from a coolant perspective, and that should help the oil temps.

edit: found a pic


In terms of some of the other points, I'd be happy to mount it behind or under the radiator if I was stuck for space, as oil will only be a concern when it's hotter than the coolant radiator. It would be more efficient in cold air though, obviously.

@ Grumblebuns, I'd be a bit worried about heat soak from the exhaust in that location, but it's hard to tell the exact point you're thinking of, and I'm sure you're more than capable of fitting a heat shield to go with it.

If I decide later that more oil cooling is needed, then maybe under the engine lid vent is the first thing I'll try.

[Pfreen]

I installed a Laminova oil to water cooler on the return line from the radiator.  They are small, and no thermostat is needed.  The goal of any oil cooler is to keep the oil and water at nearly at the same temperature.  This keeps bearing clearances nearly constant.  I attached the pdf file of the cooler.  On my Twink, I located it in between the "V" of the chassis.  It was tight but it made a very clean install.  I have not really tested it on the car too much but this cooler was used to test a 4 cylinder Ford Duratec engine for 100's of hours on an engine dyno between 3/4 and full load.

[StrawberryCheesecake]

 Thanks - I have a friend who deals in Laminova coolers too.

As an option, VW use oil over water coolers in a lot of their cars - not sure if they still do, but certainly in 80s and 80s injection models.

[FranV8]

Vote here for the oil water coolers, compact and give two benefits, quicker oil warm up and better temperature control.

I'm not sure how you'd plumb it into the water circuit though, easy if the heater circuit was one that flows all the time but the Europa (at least TC does) has a heater valve.

Had that type on old Ford Capri V6's I had.  Also on the 86 Corvette I had - it kept oil temperature very much in check (except when the car did a big end...)  Digital readoutss for both freak you out even more when they move even a few degrees from the norm!

Of course the cooling capacity of the car will need to be good first but your rad looks a thousand times better than the standard offering.

On the later Corvettes GM deleted the oil cooler and switched to specifying synthetic oils (Mobil1 0w30) instead to take the higher temps.  Sadly, if the Miles Wilkins book advice applies across bothe the Renault and Lotus engines it's recommended we stay with period thicker oils.  Unless we like oil leaks...

[StrawberryCheesecake]

I plan to fit a heater valve from a mk1 golf. They're simple, reliable and I have a few kicking around.

One thing I need to figure out, is how to get the cold air feed to the cabin working with this setup. The nostrils in the bonnet are going to de-pressurise the front compartment. Maybe I can seal off the back part.

Anyway, that's not an oil cooler topic.

[HelpMyLotus]

I have a 73 TCS and a 67 Mini Cooper S.  The Cooper was fitted with an oil cooler factory.  From what the pros on that site have said new oil is different than the old stuff.  The new stuff is made to operate in higher temperatures for longer.  Having an oil cooler on a car that gets leisurely drives on occasion may be a hindrance to the car.  I'm not familiar with the Zetec motor but if it had it factory, I'd install it.  If not, I wouldn't.